Executive Summary:
Good looking, comfortable, spacious and a practical premium segment hatch.
Easy to drive. No issues with ground clearance or maneuvering in traffic.
19-20 Kmpl average.
Super refined, hardly any NVH.
Dual tone interiors: Plush beige with an elegant dashboard with lots of useful information on MID.
Indian version of Jazz gets a mix and match of the globally available Jazz/Fit.
A no problem vehicle which loves to cruise to deliver excellent fuel efficiency, as well as is ready to rev when needed.
Not perfect in every aspect, but no major negative noted either.
Review:
It was Feb, 2008 when I first ever visited a Honda dealership. The reason was to check for a premium brand sedan(a step up from already existing hatchback), The Honda City ZX. By the time we finalized to zero in on Honda City, its 10th Anniversary edition was available and that brought in some reasons for an extra smile to our faces. During our subsequent visits Honda dealership in the month of March to complete the payment formalities, we discovered a completely new vehicle on the display. This red sparkling eye-catchy vehicle was Honda Jazz 2nd gen. It was meant only for display and to collect the customer response to it. There was no idea about either its date of launch or the pricing. The people response was above expectation. The vehicle looked brilliant from all teh angles, ample space and powered by a newly introduced i-VTEC mill. The top variant of Honda City still used to boast of a VTEC engine(not i-VTEC) and as always and for many, Honda City has been a dream which got fulfilled in the first week of April when we got it home.
Having owned a Honda since then, it has been a rewarding experience. Be it comfort, handling, braking, mileage, a/c, just drive it well, have it serviced in time and you never will face any issues. The only area of concern for me with my City has been the ground clearance(160 mm) coupled with the long wheelbase(2450 mm). A non-standard speed breaker or a deep pot hole(a common sight in our country) and you end up scraping its belly. While my experience with owning a Honda enriched, saw the Jazz come on the roads in March 2009 but with a massive price tag. Obviously, it was unacceptable to the people who would question "why buy a hatchback for the cost of a sedan?" Moreover, the sub 4 meter sedan market was on the rise and were being offered rather cheaper. Our country has been obsessed by a strong dogma where the people equate a hatchback with a cheap economy car and a sedan with a big expensive car. Honda failed to understand this and launched a car in the premium B2 segment which then didn’t exist at all. It was only later after the launch of Hyundai’s i20 and VW Polo that B2 segment did build its market. Honda faced it hard, the prices of Jazz were slashed and it was an immediate hit. Now the waiting times increased but a lot of other issues also came in such as importing the components, a significant inventory coming in from its Thailand plant. The result, bookings were stopped and the lovely cute looking Jazz was discontinued in late 2013.
It was then first in Nov 2014 that I thought of buying a 7 seater(that occasionally used last seat will accommodate the entire family in one car) Honda Mobilio and checked it inside-out while I was at Honda dealership getting my Honda City serviced, but only to my disappointment. A great looking vehicle, powered by the same 1.5L engine as the one in Honda City, but the interiors questioned me repeatedly "is it a Honda?", "am I buying an el cheapo 4-5 Lac segment car?". In other words, nothing premium, its interiors share the platform with Brio and Amaze which are meant to target the mass segment who wish a hassle-free Honda ownership at an economical point. So, the idea was dropped.
It was then in April, 2015, when the thought of buying a new premium hatch struck to me and yet continuing to stick to a petrol mill only. The reasons:
Most important is the NGT(National Green Tribunal) ruling currently under court stay but if implemented, one cannot drive a diesel vehicle more than 10 years old in Delhi and NCR, and a petrol vehicle if its more than 15 years. This is a "one size fit all" rule irrespective of the make or how maintained you keep your car or weather or not its polluting or how much the car has clocked. Now this extra 5 years of ownership with a petrol car is very significant a factor. This was also a strong reason for my not to go for something like an Audi A3 or Merc A class which I had always wished and planned as well since investing almost 28 lac+ maintenance+ yearly insurance+ running cost and still scrap it after 15 years!
Diesel isn’t as clean a fuel as gasoline. This is a fact which cannot be ruled out no matter how smart the diesel motors become.
Diesel motors ain’t refined(and cannot be because of extra high compression made in the combustion chamber needed to burn the oil) no matter which make. The NVH levels are always higher(both inside and outside) than the corresponding petrol version of the same make. The shake felt while starting and stopping the engine irritates me.
In the long run, Diesels need more maintenance(deposited carbon clean ups), shorter battery and tyre life.
The initial investment is also more.
The pickup is inferior to that of petrols(although I do not personally weigh this point much)
This time I wanted to switch back from sedan to a hatch but without compromising on the comforts of a full fledged sedan(personally I do not like the idea of sub 4 meter sedans and malnutritioned sub 4 meter SUVs popular in India). Being very comfortable with manual transmission, the car I buy must have atleast following(since my old Honda city lacks most of them - marked *):
OEM Alloy wheels
Better ground clearance
Steering mounted audio controls
Bluetooth Handsfree
Rear windshield wiper/washer
Dual SRS Airbags
ABS+EBD
Premium seats and not the economical thin stuff with integrated head restraints common these days.
Driver’s armrest preferred
Push button engine start/stop
Beige interiors
A minimum of 1.2 liter engine(anything lesser is a compromise as A/C load is significantly felt)
Consideration for engine technology(number of cylinders, valve train, bore x stroke, compression, construction, RHP/BHP/torque delivery, technical innovation, redline, efficiency and reliability)
In one line, a comfortable, good looking, practical, modern and a safe hatch.
My first preferences were i20 Active/Elite and VW Polo. No Marutis or Tatas or Mahindras or Fiats(not to comment, my personal preference). Test drove VW Polo petrol TSI, following are the postulates:
Drive quality was good, car felt planted, good handling and smooth gear shifts. Ground clearance of 165 mm didn’t let the car touch on any speed breakers.
Nice quality interiors. Good workmanship. No uneven panel gaps.
Heat absorbing glass panes. Think its practicality from the kind of hot/tropical weather in our country. when Hon’ble Supreme Court has banned any type of aftermarket glass treatment no matter how clear the cross visibility is.
3 cylinder motors are prone to vibrations due to their very unbalanced construction. Same was felt here. I noticed significant NVH levels. Engine noise inside the cabin took away the pleasure of a premium car while accelerating. VW sales person sitting next me claimed that all European cars inherently make a revving sound.
The 1.2 litre R3/I3 felt less responsive and somewhat under powered.
Leave it to idle, switch on and off the A/c and you will notice the significant load of A/C compressor on the engine motor as it will try to compensate by increasing the RPM.
Driver’s comforts are ok but my mom dad on the back seat didn’t feel it coming close to those in our Honda City.